Brighten My Day
by Tears of Dragons
Summary: When my world collapses, or I forget how to laugh, you come in. You light my life, not as a hero in glory, but as a gesture of kindness, a small ray of sun, in front of me. Series of one-shots with various pairings.
1. Delivery Smile (Nalu)

A loud smack rang through the room as Lucy slammed her forehead to her desk, groaning sounds escaping her lips. The sun shone in bright through the window, and, annoyed by the happy weather outside, she angrily pulled the curtains over. She was dead tired of this, honestly, tired of being stuck in her novel writing. The rough draft was due tomorrow, goddamnit!

"Ugh", The blonde sighed, propping herself up with an arm. She turned her gaze quickly to the clock beside her, trying all she could to avoid the blank paper in front of her at all costs. The digital number 1 shone bright red in front of her eyes.

"Wah!? 1 already? Crap!" Lucy clicked her tongue and forced her body upright, snatching the pencil that had rolled to the table edge. Her movements were forced to a stop by a sudden pain in her stomach, followed by a rather unsettling sound.

Lucy sighed. "Lunch first, I guess."

She picked up the phone, and dialled a familiar number.

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"Argh… No! This isn't going to work!" Lucy screamed at the scribbled words. She scrunched the paper up and flung it to the adjacent wall. She gripped her hair, tugging at the strands, frantically racking her brain for ideas until the doorbell rang.

A frustrated grunt, a stomp of her foot and at least twelve deep breaths afterwards, the door was swung open.

"Yes?" Lucy growled, irritated by the interruption to her work.

The person on the other side of the frame stood slack jawed, momentarily taken aback by the unexpected anger directed at them.

"Ah, pizza delivery, miss! An order of a medium Hawaiian along with a coke!"

"Ah, pizza? Oh! Right. Yeah. Just let me grab my wallet." Lucy ruffled her hair, and turned to fetch the needed payment.

"Do you guys accept credit?"

"Yeah! No prob!"

"Alright, then. Here you go." She handed the delivery man - _boy_ \- her card. She hadn't failed to notice the array of spiky pink hair that stood at all angles from under his cap, and the odd scale-like scarf that he wore, despite the heat. At any other time, she would have giggled at his bright pink mane, if not for the crisis she was currently stationed in.

"Would you like your receipt, ma'am?" The boy asked, returning her card and pulling out the papers that flowed from the machine.

"Ah, yes, that would be great."

The boy handed her the small slip, and, seeing that his job was fully finished, turned back to the road and tipped his cap.

"Well, have a nice day, miss!"

Lucy almost dropped her card and wallet as she took in the boy's face. Although half of his features were out of sight from the way he stood, she could still catch the toothy grin that was shot at her. She was kept at a standstill from her place at the door as the boy slowly strided down back to his delivery truck. She watched as he jumped into the driver's seat and flashed her one last grin before starting up to leave.

As the truck drove out of view, and the blonde finally regained her senses, Lucy found herself smiling. She touched her face in astonishment at the odd gesture, and turned to the empty driveway once more. That boy's smile had travelled to _her_.

Then she let out a stream of giggles, laughing at both herself and the odd boy. How surprising the world was, she found, for her whole month's load of stress and distraught to be destroyed by a simple smile.

Yes, she'll admit that it came from a rather attractive male; yes, it forced a slight jump to her chest, but she would not have expected such a change in her mood from such a small gesture.

Lucy laughed again. With a huff, and a rather loud "All right!", the writer went back into her humble home, mood brightened and spirits lifted.

If there was one thing Lucy regretted in that ordeal, it was that she did not ask nor bother to look at the nametag of the boy who struck her like a wave of sunlight.

Well, no matter. She strangely doubted that that would be the last time she saw him. After all, this definitely wouldn't be the last time she ordered pizza.

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Lucy tucked the receipt into her wallet, and took the large box from his waiting arms. He flashed her a bright grin, gave her the exact same words as last time, and trotted back to his truck.

The blonde gave him a wave, before being reminded of her forgotten task.

"Wait! What's your name?" She called, eagerly awaiting the answer.

The boy spun around at the abrupt question. He tipped his cap, and with a grin that could rival the stars, said,

"Natsu Dragneel! And you, miss?"

The blonde mirrored his expression, cupped her hands at her mouth, and screamed,

"Lucy Heartfilia!"

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 ***A/N: This first one was technically supposed to be a lot longer than it is now, but I figured it was a good idea to end it here. Well, thanks for reading, and hope to hear some reviews!**


	2. Coffee With a Laugh (Stiyu)

Yukino, despite her name, hates snow. She hates winter, the cold, the white, the _everything_ at this time of year. If not for the one-dollar coffee promotion at her favorite café, she honestly would not be up this early before work. She rubbed her frozen hands rapidly together, a desperate attempt to keep warm despite the heater already being on.

She swore inwardly for forgetting her mittens before leaving her house, and pulled her muffler higher over her ears.

"Ugh, this sucks." She whispered, and sniffed. Yukino squealed as the door behind her opened for the incoming customer.

She made small steps in place, stretching over the tall man in front of her to see the extent of the line. It took quite the effort, honestly, since the man was not only tall, but muscular, with an array of crazy light blond hair that blocked her view. Her gaze stopped at a dangling earring, a small crystal swinging from the man's left ear. How odd, she found, for he was only wearing one.

When she finally could see over his shoulder, she grumbled outwardly. The line was rather massive, a horde of heads clustered in front.

"Shoot." Yukino sighed, and laced her fingers unhappily through her white hair. She pulled out her phone, scrolling through unread messages, seemingly trying to ignore the cold as she waited for her turn.

She didn't notice though, that soon it was her turn next, until a bright, loud voice rang into her ears.

"Hey, I'll buy coffee for the one behind me too, 'kay? So I'll leave the extra dollar here."

Yukino's gaze whipped straight to the owner of the voice, astonished by the sudden words. She blinked to see the back of the blond man before.

The cashier rose an eyebrow at the gesture. "You know them, sir?"

"Haha, no, just in a good mood with an extra random dollar to spare, so…"

The cashier smirked at the answer, looking behind the man's shoulder to catch a glimpse of Yukino. "Oh, I know now. You want me to do you a favor? After all, we have to ask for all customer's names for their coffee."

"What?! No! Just a kind gesture, 'kay? Please don't make this more than it is."

The woman behind the counter laughed. "Alright, alright. One large dark roast, correct? And may I ask you for your name, handsome sir?"

Yukino couldn't see, standing behind him, but listening to his stammer, she could only guess he was blushing at the comment.

"Eh?! Err… Sting. Sting Eucliffe." He said.

"Just your first name would have been fine, good sir."

Yukino giggled as he turned flustered, and swung his arms to explain himself. As he did, though, she caught an eye of his face, and couldn't help but blush herself. The cashier sure wasn't wrong, she found, with her comment.

After a few stammered lines later, the man, Sting, rushed out of the shop with his coffee. Yukino walked up to the cashier.

"Miss, your coffee…"

Yukino smiled. "Yeah, I know. Does he come here often?"

"Well, I do see him once now and then. Interested, pretty miss? He's quite the looker."

Yukino blushed, but laughed regardless. "A little. Could you thank him for me if you see him again?"

The woman smiled. "Of course. Shall I give him your name too?"

The white-haired girl shook her head. "No need. Just tell him the customer behind him wishes to thank him for the free coffee."

00000

Yukino stands in line again, doing the same frantic routine of trying to warm herself, grumbling at the cold and jumping to see the line in front, until the door behind her opens. She curses first at the sudden exposure to the outside, until she hears a familiar voice.

A ruffle of blond hair, and a deep sigh. "Well, honestly, what a line. Is one-dollar coffee that popular?"

Surprised, and a little excited, Yukino turns her head slightly to see the familiar handsome face. She laughs, and pulls out another dollar from her wallet.

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"Miss, is that all for your order?"

Yukino makes a glance to the yawning figure behind her, still waiting in line. "No, actually, I'll buy the man behind me his coffee, so could you take my dollar?"

The woman behind the counter (not the same one, unfortunately) gives a shocked expression.

"Oh? You know him, miss?"

Yukino laughed. "No, not really. Just returning a favor he did for me last."

"Oh, I see. Could I have your name then, miss, for your coffee?"

With a smile, she says in a loud and firm voice so that the one behind her could hear, "Yukino. Yukino Aguria."

The woman giggles at the sudden voice. "Just your first name would have been fine, miss."

She smiles, and, as she takes her coffee to her seat, she happily takes in the astonished look of the blond man, and blushes as he shoots her a bright thankful smile.

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"Yukino… was it? Thanks for the free coffee."

She smiles at him, and replies, "Sting, right? Thanks for the coffee last time."

He laughs at the statement, and with a grin, asks, "Could I… errr… sit with you?"

She giggles at his stammering, and giving him the brightest smile she can manage, says,

"Of course. I was hoping you'd ask, _handsome sir._ "


	3. Blushing Tea (Gruvia)

A steady stream of yawns flow from Gray, clue to his tired state. He made a grimace to his computer screen and his desk, mood destroyed by the pile of sheets and unread messages that laid bare in front of him. He leaned back on his chair, rubbing his eyes and sighing profoundly. He'll have to work overtime again today.

Around him, the sounds of phone calls and typing fingers slowly decreased. He only groaned as he watched his co workers pack up, finished their day's work, preparing to head home. Oh, how he hated his life at the moment.

He reluctantly got back up from his position, pinching the bridge of his nose to prepare for the hideous pile of work in front of him. His fingers reached for the keyboard, straining to meet the keys over the pile of sheets in front.

He growled, until a cup of tea dropped in front of his line of sight. His eyes widened at the mug.

"Errr… Gray-sam… Gray-san?"

At the soft voice and the call of his name, Gray swung his head to the speaker. He was met with long blue hair, large eyes, and a round (rather pretty too) face. His eyes softened slightly at the sight of his colleague.

"Juvia. What are you doing at this time? You should have been done fifteen minutes ago."

The said girl only smiled, a light pink dusting her pale cheeks.

"Well, I saw Gray-sama… errr… Gray-san looking very tired, so I thought that I could go steep some tea for you. A friend of mine told me that this tea is good for fatigue, so…"

She smiled again, pushing the mug towards him.

"Oh, uhh… Thanks, then."

Rubbing his neck, he reached for the tea. He gave her a grateful smile, and lightly sipped the liquid. He expected the tea to be steaming hot, though what reached his tongue was only warm, heated only enough to warm his parched throat. Huh… the perfect temperature.

After another sip, Gray grinned, and shot the eagerly waiting woman a thankful look. "It's good, Juvia. The perfect temperature. Thanks."

A deep blush overtook the girl's features, and with a flustered "you're welcome", took off, working bag in hand, out the office door.

Gray laughed at her actions, and took another sip of his gift. He smirked at the liquid, and with a deep stretch of back and neck muscles, he flung himself back to his work desk. Before that though, he took a stray sticky note, and quickly jotted down his co worker's name, along with the words "RMR 2 Repay".

"All right, let's do this!"

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After that incident, Gray finds himself oddly attached to the rich liquid. It simply seemed the perfect remedy for all the overworked days and long nights. So, even at his small humble home that only had so many shelves, he had one specifically for the tea.

He found it funny himself, that what really soothed him wasn't quite the tea itself, but the memory of the kind smile and helpful gesture that came with it.

He smirked at the thought, trying with all efforts to keep the flush from running up to his face.

00000

It is weeks after the event of "the tea and Juvia" does his days of overtime finally end. It's a silent cheer and a loadful of sighs in relief from Gray, and he couldn't be in any higher of moods that day.

He gives a pat to the box of teabags, and a smile in the direction of the woman sitting in the far corner, beautiful blue eyes glued to her screen, and eyebrows hunched in concentration.

Gray frowned, though, at the sight of the furrowed eyebrows. His smile dropped as he saw how her form was stiff and tired, and the endless amount of crumpled papers and open ballpoint pens littered around her desk.

He gave a sigh, and bent down to pull out his wallet.

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"Juvia."

A whirl in position and surprised look from the said woman.

"Wah… oh! Gray-san! What could I help you with?"

Gray only sighed as he saw her face, the beauty marred by heavy eyebags and tired cheeks.

"Nothing. I was just about to ask if you'd like to go for lunch with me. My treat."

"Ehh!? But, I've still got lots of work to…"

Gray only sighed at her. "Just leave it, Juvia. You're in no state to continue working at the moment. Take a break, woman."

"...Okay. But, why would Gray-san… "

He grinned at her, taking in the blush from her as he did.

"Just think of it as my thank you to you."

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 ***A/N: Finally finished! Honestly, I'm starting to see that all of these one-shots seemed to be related to food… huh. Thanks for reading, anyway!**


End file.
